Axelrod’s Accusations

Posted on October 31, 2011 by ashot

This was discussed in the comments to MsJS’s excellent post so I thought I would give it it’s own post.

I’m sure most people are familiar with the story, but in case they aren’t our old buddy Greg has a good summary. This jist is that Axelrod is accusing Republicans of purposefully hurting the economy in order to damage Obama’s reelection prospects.

As several here have already pointed out, this isn’t exactly a new political tactic. However, given the context of the present political situation, I do think it is an interesting development. Nobody in DC is popular right now, but Congress seems to be less popular than Obama. So perhaps placing the blame on the unpopular kid is a decent strategy.

On the other hand (others ponted this out) this move could potentially make Republicans look stronger than they really are and blaming someone else is not generally the kind of leadership people are looking for from their President.

My opinion? Glad you asked. There is some truth to the notion that Republicans want to block anything Obama supports. But I don’t think it’s a nefarious effort to destroy the economy. Given Obama’s general unpopularity, it’s probably not even a bad political strategy (although it doesn’t appear to be making them more popular). Greg frequently cites polls that show Americans support various portions of Obama’s economic and health care plans as evidence of a variety of things ranging from Republicans not listening to Americans to Americans being less conservative and many more. My takeway is that Obama is unpopular and if you put his name next to rainbows, the popularity of rainbows would take a hit. As a result, it makes sense politically for Axelrod to point the finger at Republicans and for Republicans to oppose most anything Obama proposes.

Filed under: Congress, Obama | Tagged: | 24 Comments »

Wanting a Re-Do on the 2008 Primary?

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Kevin S. Willis

A recent CNN.com article (yes, for people paying attention, I went there from our own sidebar, “All News in Moderation”) article speculates that, knowing what they know now, Democrats might opt for Hillary over Obama, and in essence attributes Obama’s primary victory to his camp’s ability to game the system, as it were:

With the nation’s economy — and arguably its politics — in shambles, it is not very surprising to find in a recent Bloomberg poll that 34% of respondents think it would have been better for the country if Hillary Clinton hadn’t lost the battle for the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama. A CNN poll released last week put Clinton’s favorability rating at a tremendous 69%.

Perhaps no one is questioning the 2008 results more than Democratic politicians who must face the voters next year. Right now, it looks like President Obama, rather than offering coattails to those below him on the ticket, may instead be serving up an anchor. This is ironic, when you look back at what actually happened during the Democrats’ 2008 primary, and at who made Obama the party’s nominee.

Filed under: hillary clinton, Obama | Tagged: | 7 Comments »

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) Gets It

Posted on September 29, 2011 by novahockey

“Because if you are not going to get it done, what’s wrong with going down swinging?”
– Rep. James Clyburn on President Obama’s recent address to the Congressional Black Caucus.

See more at FDL

Filed under: Obama | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Media Bias? I Report, You Decide

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Let the mutherfuker burn!

Byron York’s interesting comparison of Today Show interview of Suskind over his book critical of the Obama Administration versus their interview of him over his book critical of the Bush administration.

Troll-

Filed under: Obama | Tagged: , | 14 Comments »

He’s Baaaackkk

Posted on September 19, 2011 by lmsinca

I remember saying to someone, can’t remember who, that once the 2012 election drew closer that Obama would begin his renewed appeal to the base. After the trouncing over the debt limit deal and faltering polling numbers, he would return home again. Well, it’s begun. I’m hoping it’s because he believes his own populist rhetoric and it’s not just a slick campaign maneuver, but according to the headlines over the past week or so, he’s got his groove back. If this is too controversial, I’ll put up a food post tomorrow, unless FarilingtonBlade beats me to it. I’m testing the waters.

Obama throws class warfare charge back in Gops face

Greg Sargent:

This has to be the clearest sign yet that Obama has taken a very sharp populist turn as he seeks to frame the contrast between the parties heading into 2012. During his remarks this morning, Obama directly responded to Republicans accusing him of “class warfare,” but rather than simply deny the charge, he made the critical point that the act of protecting tax cuts for the rich is itself class warfare, in effect positioning himself as the defender of the middle class against GOP class warriors on behalf of the wealthy.

Obama’s veto threat

Matthew Yglesias:

The biggest news out of today’s deficit plan from President Obama probably isn’t the plan itself but an ancillary veto threat. We’ve long known that the White House favors higher taxes on the rich, and also that it’s willing to consider agreeing to some very right-wing notions about Medicare spending as part of a grand bargain to get it. Today, though, the president is clearly stating for the first time that he will veto any plan from the super committee or elsewhere that cuts Medicare benefits without raising taxes on the wealthy.

He’s not afraid

Steve Benen:

As for the substance, and the president’s call for tax fairness, it’s hard not to notice the president is playing a strong hand. Republicans believe the mere mention of “class warfare” is supposed to stop any and all conversation, but Obama is delivering a popular, sensible message that will very likely resonate with the American mainstream. What’s more, he’s sending a signal that he’s not afraid of GOP talking points on this.

Speaking of Political Animals, I still am one.

Filed under: Obama | Tagged: , | 15 Comments »

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